The Gospel Hope of Canada’s #EatTogether CampaignTamara Hill Murphy 02/27/17Oh, Canada, you really know how to get me. When the United States goes low, you seem to go high. First came those pictures of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hugging Syrian refugees, then came the #EatTogether campaign, which tugged my heartstrings with an inspirational commercial that ran among all the political speeches at the Grammy’s. Sure, some panned the sentimentalized aspects of the ad, including its use of a 1965 Burt Bacharach hit, but can’t we all agree that what the world does need now is love, sweet love?

The #EatTogether campaign, commissioned by President’s Choice foods in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, tells the story of isolated people gathering around a meal. In the video, one woman, visibly annoyed that her neighbors refuse to look up from their mobile phones, invites them to join her for an impromptu dinner in the hallway of their apartment building. We see by their dress and the food they bring to the table that the neighbors represent a variety of family types and ethnicities.

Near the end of the ad, one empty seat remains at the makeshift table. A little girl persuades a reluctant elderly gentleman who lives at the end of the hall to join the dinner party. We watch him disappear back into his apartment, leaving everyone to wonder if he’s unwilling to participate. But a moment later he returns with bread and a bottle of wine for his contribution. The old man and the little girl walk hand-in-hand down the hallway toward the table full of smiling neighbors and home-cooked food.

It’s not a new phenomenon for businesses to combine brand promotion with messages of cultural hope. In a time when our inboxes and media feeds offer a daily collision of contempt and technology, the #EatTogether campaign provides a counterproposal, suggesting that national pride, business, media, and technology can all work together for good. Cheesy or not, the campaign invites viewers to imagine a hopeful act of togetherness. Through the cultural power of a hashtag, we can insert ourselves into the story by sharing our own photos of sharing meals.

Words only become a gospel mission when they are embodied by deeds.Even if #EatTogether is merely an innovative, heart-tugging ad to promote Canadian national pride and products, I think those of us who follow Christ might consider the message of quiet, local action that it inspires. The Globe and Mail described this as “unity and community-building through the vehicle of food.” This mission sounds a lot like a gospel mission; in a frantically antagonistic world, maybe the best thing any of us can do is open our doors to our neighbors and share a meal.

When it comes to hospitality to neighbors, I don’t know anyone more on mission than my parents. Apparently this habit began when they were newly married, living in a high-rise apartment building outside of Washington, D.C. Unsure how to meet their neighbors, they relied on their small-town instinct: share food. I still try to imagine how my mom must have felt, in her early twenties, carrying a freshly baked apple pie to another apartment.Unsurprisingly, this method worked. My parents became friends with many of their neighbors—some that lasted a lifetime and some who, over coffee and more pie, asked questions about Christ. Last weekend, during a visit home, my mother told a story of the Algerian immigrants she knew from teaching English classes at the local civic association. When she discovered the family had recently moved into her neighborhood, she naturally made them a loaf of bread and delivered it to their door.

What I enjoy about the #EatTogether ad is that it sends a meaningful message without speaking a single word. What the world doesn’t need now are words, mere words. What better time than now for Christians to remember that words only become a gospel mission when they are embodied by deeds. So, happy upcoming birthday, Canada, and thanks for the beautiful reminder.

Posted in:Tamara Hill Murphy writes at her website about daily practices of art, liturgy, and relationships. She lives in Fairfield, Conn., with her husband Brian, an Anglican priest, where they are learning how to parent their four adult children.More articles from Tamara Hill Murphy »

Happy second day in February. This month, we celebrate Black History and the long arc of the moral universe that, we pray, bends toward justice.

I keep returning to the new hymn by Mark A. Miller from his collection Roll on Justice!, a setting of Eric Garner's last words, "I can't breathe." Miller then asks, "how long? How much longer must we wait?" May we continue to work in that impatient urgency for real, enduring justice.

In that spirit, we have a wide variety of opportunities for advocacy and legislative action. I also welcome YOUR input for other issues, actions, or campaigns you'd like to see us take on:

Mark Your Calendars: Interfaith Day of Advocacy on March 24thWe invite you to participate in a reception, interfaith prayer service, and day of advocacy on Friday, March 24th, in Helena with other progressive clergy! Details forthcoming, but please save the date!

You're Invited: Montana Human Rights Network Advocacy Day on Feb 20thMHRN will host an LGBTQ Lobby Day on Monday, February 20th, including a teach-in and workshops. It's a great way to show clergy solidarity with Montana's LGBTQ community—come if you're able!

Raise Your Voice: Upcoming IssuesJules sent this a few days ago, but here is a reminder that a few critical pieces of legislation are coming up in our state. Consider testifying, writing a letter, or calling your Senator or Representative. Please let Jules (jules@mhrn.org) know if you'd like to raise your voice on any of these, and she'll be in touch.

1) Paid Leave: Currently, there are no protections for employees in the instance of extended illness, caregiving for parents, childbirth, or bereavement. The United States remains the only industrialized economy in the world that does not guarantee paid leave for new mothers or a paid sick leave standard, and one of a handful that does not guarantee leave for new fathers. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides job security but does not allow employees to receive any portion of their pay. This bill would create a pool similar to Unemployment Insurance, that asks for shared contribution from employer and employee. For someone making $40,000/yr, shared contribution would be $7.65. The definition of family is kept intentionally broad to make sure LGBTQ families are included. Hearing Date: Tentatively Thursday, Feb 9th in the morningBill #: LC350Bill language: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2017/lchtml/LC0350.htmMore Info: http://www.montanabudget.org/helping-people-balance-work-and-family/

This summer at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, for the first time ever in the history of the Olympics, a team will act as a symbol for all those displaced from their homes by crisis.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling upon its membership to cheer on the Refugee Olympic Team, a group of ten top-tier athletes representing refugees around the world. Before the Opening Ceremony on August 5th, we invite you to “join the team” and support these incredible athletes as they make their dreams come true.

While many Americans still struggle with fear around the unknown of welcoming Syrian refugees, thousands of our friends to the north are clambering and waiting to welcome these families with nowhere else to go. Canadians are banding together to welcome these families into their homes, and for one year provide basic financial support, such as subsidizing food and clothing, helping these newcomers learn English, and find a place to live, local mosques, and schools for their children.

“…after three years of barely hanging on in Jordan, [Mr Abdullah’s family] was not used to being wanted or welcomed. “You mean we’re leaving the hotel?” Abdullah asked. To himself, he was wondering, “What do these people want in return?””

“I can’t provide refugees fast enough for all the Canadians who want to sponsor them,” John McCallum, the country’s immigration minister, said in an interview.” The Toronto Star called them “an angry mob of do-gooders”.

Groups of Canadian citizens are acting as concierges for their “New Canadians”, helping and guiding them while they set up their new lives, and navigating enormous cultural gaps. There is wide variety of educational backgrounds, from business owners and nurses, to those who were illiterate already in Arabic, making changes to a completely new system of communication even more difficult.

Christian Church Disciples of Christ: Week of Compassion

June 14, 2016by Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director of Disciples Home Missions Refugee & Immigration Ministries, a partner of Week of CompassionOn December 4th, 2000, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming June 20th of each year as World Refugee Day. Since then, hundreds of World Refugee Day (WRD) educational events, food fairs, religious celebrations, and cultural festivals have been held each year across the country to provide opportunities for neighbors to engage and build relationships with their local refugees and immigrants.

Episcopal Church:Immigrants continue to breathe life into St. Paul church Partner parish to co-sponsor a refugee family

[Episcopal News Service – St. Paul, Minnesota] When you walk into Holy Apostles Episcopal Church here on any given Sunday you will find a melting pot. A young female Hmong deacon in her 30s will be hugging a white congregant in his 80s, and youth of many races and ages will be sitting together listening to the Word.This blend is especially evident in the summer when the congregation celebrates Holy Eucharist with a mixture of both English and Hmong during their combined 10 a.m. service.Yet, this blended body of Christ that works to love and live together in the world as one, hasn’t always been as diverse as they now are.In 2004, the church had been in decline for a few years and was facing the reality of having to close, said Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard, Holy Apostles’ vicar. At the time, Susan Moss, a missionary in the diocese learned from a Hmong friend that a group of 75 Hmong families had left the Roman Catholic church and were without a place to worship. Moss extended an invitation to visit Holy Apostles and over six months the families visited and elders met with the bishop and the vicar to discern if the church could be their new faith home.

In 2000, the United Nations named June 20 as World Refugee Day, deeming it an annual opportunity to celebrate the resilience and success of the former refugees who bless our communities with their wisdom and irrepressible spirit and to examine the root causes of violence and persecution that force people to flee at an alarming rate.

This year, The Episcopal Church, in partnership with congregations, volunteers and our network of 30 local affiliate offices in 26 states will welcome more than 5,000 refugees to the United States from 32 countries, from places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, Afghanistan, and Syria.

"With more than 60 million displaced people across the globe, our work to welcome refugees to the United States is more important than ever," commented Deborah Stein, Director of Episcopal Migration Ministries. "To raise awareness and support, Episcopalians across the church are encouraged to find a local World Refugee Day activity or plan one of their own."

The following are suggestions, ideas and resources to observe World Refugee Day:• Join Episcopal Migration Ministries and Episcopal Public Policy Network on May 12 at 7 pm Eastern for a #RefugeesWelcome World Refugee Day planning free webinar: register here. • Find a local World Refugee Day event on our interactive events map here.• Host a #RefugeesWelcome dinner to support new Americans living in your community; ideas are here.• Lift up prayers for refugees in your congregation. Worship materials are here.• Start a conversation in your congregation and community about how you can be involved in this life-saving work. World Refugee Day bulletin insert and planning materials found here. • Volunteer for this life-saving ministry through one of our local partners. The affiliate network map is here.• Join the Episcopal Public Policy Network to learn more about how you can work with local and elected leaders to support refugees; info here.All resources are here.

For more information, contact Allison Duvall, Manager for Church Relations and Engagement, aduvall@episcopalchurch.org, 212-716-6027.

Prayer for World Refugee Day

Written by #ShareTheJourney pilgrim Alyssa Stebbing, Outreach Ministry Director and Contemporary Music Director at Trinity Episcopal Church, The Woodlands, Texas:Gracious God, we pray for our newest neighbors, that those families who have sought refuge from the ravages of war and violence may find not only shelter and sustenance, but also a loving and supportive community in which to create a new beginning with dignity. Amen.